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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

This past weekend was the West Coast Paddler (forum driven) Campout at Portland Island in the majestic Southern Gulf Islands. Each year the users of the forum run polls for when and where the campout should be held. Many factors come into play like the BC Ferries schedules, paddle distances and dry places to camp and once again Portland Island fit the bill.

After working a really early shift Robyn and I met Sheila Porteous and Gary Jacek at the Swartz Bay Government Dock at 13:30 and prepared our rides for the trip to Portland Island. The kayaking gods must have been with us because when do you get two empty parking spots on a Friday afternoon at Swartz Bay???

Sheila, Gary and me ready to take to the water with our Greenland Paddles.

Robyn and I were really excited about using our Joe O Paddles Greenland paddles made from old growth BC Red Cedar on this trip. They had just arrived the day before by FedEx (Thanks Joe!) and when we opened the box we were amazed at the craftsmanship of them. They almost looked too good to use but that isn't why we bought them. A Greenland paddle is a tool that is meant to enhance the paddling experience and so we put them to the test with our fully (camping gear) loaded kayaks to Portland Island.

Riding along with a full moon flood and a 15 knot SW wind at our back, the trip took less than one hour for us to reach the white shell beach on the west side of Arbutus Point. Last year this was our first camping trip along with it being our first big crossing and it pushed us a bit further in our skills back then. This year after several hundred kilometers under our keels we felt right at home on this journey. On the way into the beach we dropped our crab trap in hopes that we might have dungeness crab for dinner on Saturday night. LOL

Many of the WCP Camp Out usual attendees were already there and it was great to see them once again. Dan, Maddie, Marshall (Langley) Greg (Brentwood), Jill and Bob (Mission) were already on site greeting the arrivals as we paddled into view.

Just before we arrived, Kelly (Kelowna) and his daughter Rachel via South Pender and the Swanson Channel Adventure were unloading their kayaks or should I say Kelly was unloaded while Rachel was texting her mom about the paddle to get here. Kelly's version was pretty amusing especially the part of hitching a ride on a sailboat to make it to Portland Island. ;-)

Kelly, Rachel and Philip at their camp. I'm pretty sure Kelly is winking that Rachel enjoyed the trip.
Rachel ... well she warmed up to the adventure as the weekend went on.

Philip (Vancouver) who launched out of Swartz Bay just before us with kayak sail ready to go arrived a few minuted before us and later in the evening Alana, Matt and Mark (Vancouver) arrived rounding up the Friday campers.

We staked our tent site for the weekend between the trees and set up our guide tarp for the possible heavy rains predicted for the weekend. Robyn and I have never kayak camped in the rain so we hoped that we were prepared for a possible downpour.

Camp Gecko Paddler seen just behind the stump under the green guide tarp.

It was Gary's first trip to a WCP Camp Out and he took advantage of a great place to make home for the weekend. Perched at the top of a ledge only feet from the high tide he had a great view of the Moresby Passage, Mt. Baker and all the sea life (seals, river otters, water fowl) and critters (raccoons, eagles etc.) that live around the island.

Gary's room with a view. Man I hope that tarp will keep you dry if it rains!

Dan Millsip's picture of Mt. Baker behind South Pender Island with Moresby Island on the right

After a long day we hit the hay early while we expected the predicted rain and wind overnight. Saturday morning we awoke to breezy conditions but no rain but would it come later? As the morning tide receded we watched a couple of raccoons foraging in the tide pools while an eagle kept an eye out for the chance to steal their finds. Dan managed to get close up and took some amazing pictures of the whole interaction.

Another great picture by Dan Millsip. The little "bandits" showed no fear of the eagle.

After breakfast Alana and Matt and Mark headed out for a paddle around Portland Island and then over to Fulford Harbour while Kelly made a direct solo run to Fulford Harbour for soda pops. Most of the rest of camp decided to hike around the island while Dan and Greg kept themselves busy around camp.

Our first stop was at Shell Beach where we had lunch on the beach by the ancient Coast Salish Village (Midden). What looks only to be fragments of shells and rocks in the exposed bank could actually hold artifacts and or be could be burial places of early First Nations peoples.

A close up of the Coast Salish Village midden laid down over hundreds or even thousands of years.

Lunch on Shell Beach. L to R: Bob, Jill, Robyn, Rachel, Sheila, Gary, Maddie and Marshall.
Philip came by later as he was on a trek around the island as well getting lots of pictures.

Stormy conditions at Shell Beach but no rain for us today.

Leaving Shell Beach after lunch Rachel spotted one of the "bandits" of the island perched high up in a cedar tree. So this is where you hide when not scurrying around the tide pools or raiding our campsite huh?

The group then made its way to Princess Bay Campsite to visit the old orchard and historical markers. Once owned by a group of Hawaiians known as the Kanakas the island passed through many hands including a retired British army officer (Frank Sutton) who bought the island with money he had won betting on horse races in China. The plan was to raise & train thoroughbred racehorses on the island but that plan fell through during the Great Depression.

Portland Island was presented to Princess Margaret of England, in 1958, to commemorate her visit to British Columbia. In 1967, the Princess returned it to the province and for many years, the island was also known as Princess Margaret Marine Park, Today, the island is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and is known Portland Island.

"Who ??? .... Not me!" photo by Dan Millsip

Making our way back to camp Robyn and I made a detour with Jill and Bob to harvest some oysters for a midday snack. While cooking them up a little "bandit" came into camp and stole our slab of butter while we had our backs turned. We did manage to find it in the bushes close by only partially eaten so we were able to salvage some of it.

Mike Jackson arrives. Photo by Dan Millsip

Through the rest of the afternoon several visitors for the day arrived through the breezy conditions. First to arrive was Mike followed by Mark and Scott. It was getting late in the afternoon when Joanne came paddling up the east side of the island as the the sun was starting to peek through the clouds.

The planned potluck dinner started to come to life in Dan's big MSR tent that he brings to the camp out. It provides shelter from the winds and rain (which didn't come) and makes for a great dining hall.

The potluck in full swing. Robyn and I were busy making the second batch of scallops in bacon. Photo by Dan Millsip

After dinner we sat around and watched the sun go down before Joanne headed back to Swartz bay. Hey! We did come to a consensus that the 2014 Camp Out would be back at Portland Island April 25th - 27th. There were a lot of laughs around the campfire LOL then there was Philip. :-)

Photo by Jill Florkow Gardner

Sitting around the imaginary campfire. What a view!!! Photo by Dan Millsip

Photo by Dan Millsip

Philip took charge of the story telling as he recounted an Arctic kayaking trip where he and a friend were attacked while wrapped up in their sleeping bags in the tent. At one point Philip gets picked up by one foot while his friend manages to fire their shotgun through the tent at whatever was outside. After the whole ordeal the pair made their way into a local town where it was discovered that Philip had actually survived a polar bear attack. There aren't too many people alive who have encountered a polar bear and survived to tell the story. Philip is one of those.

Photo by Jill Florkow Gardner

Philip then disappeared for a couple of minutes and into camp arrived George Costanza ... I mean Philip. LOL

Demonstrating his wearable sleeping bag/coat, Philip had the camp in tears laughing. Only a true "Gearhead" would have one of these and Philip fits that bill to a T!

Once the sun starts to set the temperature also starts to drop so it wasn't long before we made our way into the tent for the evening. Very early Sunday morning I woke up feeling not well at all and in fact I thought I was in the middle of a migraine cycle. Heading out on the trails I thought a good walk might help the situation but in fact something else was actually the problem which I didn't realize until we were on our way back to Swartz Bay.

Heading back to Swartz Bay. Photo by Jill Florkow Gardner

Thankfully the weather was perfect and the winds light as the camp started to dismantle and our gear was packed into the kayaks. The forecast for later in the day wasn't looking promising so several groups of us started the trek back towards the Government Dock. During this time I realized what the symptoms I was experiencing were ..... severe dehydration. Being overly cautious about our water situation I simply didn't get enough liquids for the paddle over to the island and a hike around the island. In fact I figured it out later that I was lucky if I managed to consume just over a 1.5L of water / G2 over three days. Not good! Note: Monday we purchased (2) 10L MSR Dromedary's as this is the second time this has happened to me. Never again!!

On the way back to Swartz Bay I managed to drink a couple of G2's and forced down a banana on a breif stop at Shell Beach. The ebb current was pretty strong as we paddled towards Piers Island which kept us on course for Swartz Bay. Our group of myself, Robyn, Sheila, Gary, Jill and Bob arrived back at the Government Dock together and it wasn't long before we saw Dan, Maddie, Marshall, Kelly and Rachel arriving at the dock. The Vancouver bound members quickly loaded their kayaks on wheels and they were off to make the 12:00 ferry.

Onboard the 12:00 ferry to Vancouver. Photo by Dan Millsip

We on the other hand took our time (which seemed like forever) transferring our gear to the truck and headed home to get some liquids into me followed by a really good much needed sleep.

Another fantastic weekend of camping with the WCP users and not a drop of rain. Oh yeah .... the crab trap. Well our batting average of ZERO for the year continues as Saturday there was nothing in the trap but the bait had been taken. On Sunday we picked the trap up on the way home and it had a huge sunstar in it and a spider crab. Thank goodness we didn't rely on our crab catching techniques for the potluck dinner on Saturday night. LOL

As for the the Greenland paddles from Joe O Paddles .... they were fabulous and my shoulders felt so much better especially with a fully loaded kayak. These paddles are going to be great for touring and learning new rolls.

For more pictures of the campout please visit the Trip Report section of West Coast Paddler at the link hereWest Coast Paddler

Monday, April 22, 2013

Our adventure this past weekend was a "kayak bucket list" trip to Ucluelet with 10 kayakers and support crew of the Nanaimo Paddlers. Robyn and I had this trip on our horizon but thanks to the organizers of the trip we were invited to tag along for the weekend.

Friday - Having never been past Port Alberni this was a whole new experience for us not only in the travel to get there and location but also what the west coast has to offer in terms of the sea. Leaving Victoria early Friday morning we made a quick stop at Dave Nichols' place in Shawnigan Lake to help him with transporting his gear. Good thing too as those SUV's don't pack much more than the wife (Alison), a couple of kids (Amy and Liv), the dog (Dhillon), a couple of kayaks and all the girls gear for the trip.

After 5 hours on the road we arrived at the Terrace Beach Resort just after 13:30 to slightly overcast skies, wind from the NW at 20 knots and 2-3 meters seas.

Our home for the next couple of days, the rustic looking Terrace Beach Resort.
Picture from the GoPro mounted on my Delphin.

While waiting for the rest of the group to arrive we hiked the nearby Wild Pacific Trail to Amphitrite Lighthouse. Here we got our first look at the big water crashing onto the rugged shoreline around the trail system. We also got a glimpse of another "kayak bucket list" destination called the Broken Group which we hope to paddle to in May.

On the trail looking almost due west. Somewhere out there is ...... Russia

A view to the east and in the distance the Broken Group Islands

Just before dinner Walter Van Bruggen and Matthew Light headed out to check out the conditions just outside Terrace Bay. Dave and I took a walk along the trail to see if we could spot them and sure enough in the distance we could see Walter and Mat in their glory. As the sun was starting to set it made for a great picture of the guys riding the swells.

The Friday night potluck dinner was held in the Captain's Cabin and the food just kept on coming and coming. Dave fired up the BBQ and prepared a selection of burgers and sausages while a selection of salads were being prepared inside. Oh yeah .... and there was dessert too. After a long day and a great dinner we and our cabin mates headed back to our cabin (Hummingbird) and soaked in the hot tub before bed. Saturday would be a busy and big day for Robyn and I as we had no idea what to expect.

Saturday - Weather forecast of 25 NW winds possibly rising to 30 later in the day. Sea state of 2-3 meters and broken cloud and sun. Time to rig up and head out on the water.

For the launch phase of the day the group split into two with Walter, Dave and Joanne Nicolson heading out of Terrace Bay and rounding Amphitrite Point to check out the sea conditions for a possible crossing of Carolina Channel to George Fraser Island. The rest of the group launched in the sheltered Ucluelet Inlet and paddled to meet the three scouts at a beach on Francis Island. Here we had a group discussion and it was determined that the channel could be crossed but there were big rollers in the 2 to 3 meter range that would have to be paddled across. The waves were not breaking but it would be up to each paddler to make the decision if they would make the crossing once we got into the main channel. Those who chose not to make the crossing would explore the inlet while the rest of the group would venture across.

Heading into the main flow of the waves the group stayed together and everyone made the 1.5 km crossing assisted by the NW wind without any issue. Sure the sea was big but there were no crashing breakers to contend with other than the up and down motion of the waves coming from the west. The key here was everyone was well informed of what we could expect on the crossing and nobody was beyond their skill set to handle the conditions. For me, I had one other factor to contend with. This was the first time I was in rough water in the Delphin and boy could I feel my hip muscles automatically respond to the wave movement. The further I paddled the better the Delphin felt and its "jittery" feel soon went away. Robyn on the other hand was stable as can be in her rock solid Delta and I think I was more concerned for me than her. ;-)

Here's a good picture of a roller behind me. I'm heading into the trough and the two kayaks
behind me are on the other side nowhere to be seen. Robyn is right beside me all the way across

Once we reached George Fraser Island we spotted a surge channel that was home to a colony of sea lions. It was time to play so we ventured into the wall of foaming surge as it boomed its way through the islets. All the while I thought people were talking to me as I was heading through the channel and then I realized it was the sea lions on the rocky islets nearby barking at me. Too funny!

Trying to catch a surge wave as it boils up behind me.... so cool!

From L to R - Susan Marsh, Me, Joanne and Gloria Martens head into the surge channel to play.

At the end of the surge channel it was dead flat calm in the kelp bed. From L to R: Gerhardt Raven,
Gloria, Joanne, Reale Emond, Liz Van Heerwaarden, Susan and Robyn

The group did a little exploration of the island and Gloria did a little swimming in a tricky little area nearby. :-) I had just started to enter the same area when a wave caught her off guard and in she went. Dave, Walter, Susan and Gerhardt were at her kayak in seconds to assist her in getting back into the cockpit. After all that excitement it was time for lunch on a sheltered little beach nearby located in a channel between the two main islands. At one end, big waves were breaking pretty good and at the other end ......

........ a portage through a little channel that we paddled through earlier when there was water there. The only other option was to head out through the surge channel at the other end which was out of the question with the big boomers blocking the way.

We then made our way out to Janson Island where some of the group played around in the gnarly waves around the rocky islet close by. Janson Island is really quite amazing as its shear almost vertical rock face would make landings next to impossible.

Janson Island in the distance

It was decided to head back across Carolina Channels towards the Beg Islands where we had a chance to play in the rock gardens. This is where I christened the Delphin by getting it jammed bow to stern in a narrow channel. Everytime that I would get it free with the surging wave, I somehow got it stuck again when the water rushed back out. Frustrating?? Not really until I 1/4 rolled but managed to stop myself by driving my carbon Werner paddle into the rocky bottom. A few more bounces off the walls and I made it free feeling a little embarrassed.

With the low tide approaching the number of starfish were incredible including bat stars of every color imaginable. Dave, Walter, Mat and Joanne decided to head back to Terrace Bay around Amphitrite Point while the rest of us crossed over to the shoreline that we would follow back into Ucluelet Inlet.

Starfish well below the high water line on a rocky islet.

Along the way we made a rest stop at Elephant Rock to check out the sea arches on foot. I didn't go as I had to tend to my GoPro (batteries) but after seeing the pictures I sure wish I had.

While waiting for the group to come back to the beach I managed to get in a little cat nap in the sunshine.

The kayaks and me napping on the beach near Elephant Rock

We started to make our final push towards the inlet and our launch point and it was a bit of a slog as the NW winds were blowing directly in our faces. Those last 5 km were a little tough but a few of us managed to put in a couple of rolls along the way. Heck, I even put in an assisted rescue just for Reale when I missed my second roll. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL

Back at the resort we unwound in the hottub and had a few cottage brewery beers and then it was time for pot luck #2. Once again so much food and the 2 BBQ's were busy. Liz even baked a blueberry crumble on the BBQ as the cabins don't have ovens. I think we all slept really good that night after a great day on the water.

Saturday's track out to George Fraser Island.

Sunday - Way less wind and blue skies greeted us on this planned day of kayak surfing. I took the opportunity to put in a 6am Yin yoga session on the deck while listening to the waves and eagles perched high in a tree above our cabin.

Aftr checking out of the resort, we all headed north towards Tofino for a planned 10:00 OTW time. Stopping at Chesterman Beach, Dave and Walter visually checked out the conditions and the decision was made to suit up. The surf wasn't particular big when we arrived but as the tide started to go out and the wind picked up a bit we got some bigger conditions to play in.

What an amazing day to play in the surf and we had the whole surf zone to ourselves.

Dave and Walter briefed the group on how and where to surf to avoid potential collisions with each other. I had only seen videos of kayaks bumping into each other in the surf zone but today I got to experience it a couple of times up close. In both circumstances I saw the other kayak coming towards me which allowed me to prepare the best that I could for the impact. It was all in good fun but it sure opened a few eyes as to how fast things can develop in the surf.

In this one, the surfing kayak runs over my front deck and I managed to grab hold of it before tumbling into the surf.

In this one, Liz came out of her kayak in a wave but it kept on rolling in the surf towards me.
It was like a big log that just kept on coming getting bigger and bigger and bigger until ...

.... I couldn't brace on it any longer and simply tumbled into the surf with it and my kayak. :-)

Liz and I collecting our kayaks and paddles. LOL No harm done but a lesson learned.

I spent a good part of my morning perfecting the washing machine maneuver but I did manage to catch a few waves. Robyn on the other hand played in the waves just out of the main section and had a great time remaining upright in her kayak the whole time. Nice! She managed to get a few great shots of me out of the kayak a lot ..... thanks Honey! I have a bunch of video to go through and put together clip to be posted later in the week so check back soon.

I like this one ..... "Good kayak"

Happy surfers L to R: Me, Liz, Joanne, Gloria and Reale

After a few hours of surf fun it was time to say our goodbyes and head for home. What a fabulous weekend of water, water, water, fun, fun, fun, food, food, food. The best of all it was shared with a great group of kayakers who have the same passion for such a great pastime.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

This past Sunday was a bit like going back in time for Robyn and I as we joined the SISKA Energizer Paddle from Chemainus to Thetis Island. It was only a few weeks back that we did a similar trip with the Nanaimo Paddlers around the neighbouring Penelakut Island. Of course we also spent a lot of time on Thetis Island when her parents used to have places there.

Normally SISKA paddles are not held this far away from the waters of Victoria and this one was also longer in distance than most as well. Led by our Paddle Leader (Reale Emond) who like Robyn and I and others on the paddle, she is also is a member of the Nanaimo Paddlers so it kinda was like an inter-club paddle.

After a few days of stormy April weather the folks at Environment Canada sure nailed a good day for this outing. It doesn't get much better than 5 to 15 variable with a mix of sun and cloud. Come to think of it, Robyn and I haven't missed a paddle yet due to the weather exceeding the paddle guidelines. We must have weather karma or something. :-)

Hard to believe that Saturday was a mix of wind and hail storms around Vancouver Island. Sunday was perfect!

Our group of 16 gathered at the Kinsman Park beach in Chemainus and prepared for 15.5 nm day ahead of us. There were such an assortment of kayaks being used this day from the usual touring kayaks (Current Designs, Delta, Wilderness, Pilgrim and others), a few greenland Tahe's and a couple of rotomold plastics like a Wilderness and my P&H Delphin 155.

I really debated taking the Delphin on such a long trip as I thought it might not be as comfortable as my Delta Expedition 15.5. Keeping in mind that I will be using the Delphin a lot over the next month in bigger conditions, I decided to see how it would impact my body.

Departing right on time at 10:00am the group made the 6 km (3.24 nm) crossing of Stuart Channel. Nearing Alarm Rock, Robyn and I decided to sprint ahead of the group so that we could get some pictures of them rounding the marker buoy.

Chemainus in the distance, the group reaches Alarm Rock and heads towards Telegraph Harbour

We paddled through Telegraph Harbour just after a Tofino Air deHavilland Beaver took off past us. I had a little smile on my face as she flew by as I had just been putting the finishing touches on some Beaver windshields that I made this past week at work. :-)

The group made our way through "The Cut" between Thetis and Penelakut Island. One of the paddlers asked the question about the cut being dredged . It was first dredge open for boats to pass through in 1905. Before that the two islands were joined by an extensive mudflat which can still be seen at low tide. Robyn and I also took the time to once again view her dad's former residence that is situated right on the cut. We both have very fond memories of times spent on Thetis Island and it was such a pleasure taking part in this different way of touring the island.

After a brief rest stop on the east side of the cut we headed north along the eastern shore of the island but we caught sight of a fellow rushing down to his kayak. While the rest of the group slowly paddled on, I made my way over to meet him since he looked like he wanted to join us. It turned out that his name was Andy Lamb and he and his wife operate the Cedar Beach Ocean Lodge B&B and he just wanted to pass on some business cards. Andy also took the time to describe his scuba diving expeditions and proudly showed me his book Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. I probably could have spent a lot more time with Andy and who knows maybe one day we might just check out his B&B but, I had to play catch up with the rest of the group.

Our planned lunch stop was to the north located in North Cove so we played around in the changing seascape as we made our way there. Heading into the cove Robyn and I witnessed something that we have only seen once before in our lifetime. There were a number of eagles soaring on the thermals and we got to witness a couple mating in mid air clinging to each other by their talons while the spiraled down towards the water. Only with a few feet to spare they released each other and flew back up into the thermal. As I mentioned, we have only seen this once before and it was in this exact same location several years ago while we were Geocaching on Thetis Island. Now if that doesn't stir the memories nothing will!

Lunch stop on the beach at North Cove and home to Adam and Marg Hunter one of the longest residents on the island.

A view of the resting kayaks from the Geocache that Robyn and I found on the breakwater.

During the lunch stop Robyn and I took the opportunity to locate a Geocache on the nearby breakwater and get some great pictures of the area including the old Adam Hunter Homestead and our kayaks on the beach. Soon after it was time to head south along the sloping western shores of the island which are quite different from the exposed eastern side.

Gradual sloping shoreline along the western side of the island.

We paddle our way past Don and Gwen Hunter's place which Robyn and I have memories of Don blasting off his oxygen acetylene cannon on New Year's. This was also the location where the old Canadian Pacific 737 was prepared before being sunk off shore as an artificial reef. If you look in between kilometer 20 and 21 of our track you can see the location and even better still, when you zoom in on Google Maps the airplane is still shown being dismantled on their beach!

737 on the Hunter's beach before becoming an artificial reef.

It was time to start heading back across Stuart Channel so we made our way to False Reef and then towards the freighter Bellemar located about a 1.5 km from our launch location. I think a few of us were starting to feel the effects of a long day on the water as we landed on the beach at around 16:30. It was a fantastic day of memories with many friends that we have grown to know well this past year and meet new ones as well!

Delphin report: Well it performed as expected in terms of maneuverability. Me on the other hand ... considering that I did a couple of high speed runs during the day I felt pretty good. I have to admit that it isn't the best kayak for touring with but that isn't what we bought it for as it is meant for rock gardening and surfing. Speaking of which ..... we are heading to Ucluelet on Friday morning to do such a thing with a group of Nanaimo Paddlers. Ya Dude ...... we are getting stoked for that!

p.s. Robyn is just unpacking our new Spot Satellite GPS Messenger which will let our family and friends know where we are and that we are OK when out on the water. Cool thing is that we can also send the message to our Facebook account too!! Yeah, yeah ..... I know. More Gearhead stuff!! LOL